I finished P3R recently and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Just started P4 and so far it seems like a bit of a step down, but I haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion. Is the full SMT franchise worth checking out? If so where should I start?
I finished P3R recently and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Just started P4 and so far it seems like a bit of a step down, but I haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion. Is the full SMT franchise worth checking out? If so where should I start?
feel like you should start with the first game, though it was pretty hard to find. Also SMT apocalypse and SMT 4. You can also play game by game, the list is rather long when it comes to the franchise.
I finished P3R recently and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Just started P4 and so far it seems like a bit of a step down, but I haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion. Is the full SMT franchise worth checking out? If so where should I start?
Honestly every title in the SMT and Persona franchises are very quality games, even most of the sidegames that aren't ultra-obscure. I'd even advocate for going back to Persona 3 FES for the PS2, it isn't nearly as polished as Reload but the themes are served better by the cutscenes, lighting engine of the PS2 and by the dingier graphics; its what saved Atlus from bankruptcy and shifted their focus onto the social aspects of the Persona series, so I think its worth playing that to see how everything came together. The original P4 was a way harder game than P4G but theres too many additions in Golden to really ignore; same story with P5 and P5R. Don't sleep on the original Persona 1 and 2 either, they're very different games from the modern Personas and they're definitely worth a play, especially P2 and its sequel.
Every SMT is worth a look, the themes and general fusion system stays the same between games for the most part but the gameplay is fantastic in each. The DS spinoff games for SMT deserve a special note; SMT Strange Journey is a DRPG and is the favorite of a fuckload of SMT fans, and the Devil Survivor series which is more of SRPG, good gameplay, and a bunch of different diverging endings that make it replayable, and Devil Survivor 2 only improves on everything DS1 established. Raidou Kuzunoha from the PS2 is getting a remaster soon, but you should also look into Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2; its two games that go really hard into referencing Indian mythology, and while the ending of 2 is a mixed bag, the premise and atmosphere is fucking amazing in DDS1 and its definitely worth experiencing.
I finished P3R recently and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Just started P4 and so far it seems like a bit of a step down, but I haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion. Is the full SMT franchise worth checking out? If so where should I start?
P3R incorporated a lot of the system changes from the later games that made P4 so appealing on release. I'd say that P4 definitely takes longer to reach its hook (I think like 5 or 6 hours in iirc).
I'd say if you liked P3R you should have maybe sprung for P5 Royal but it's a... complicated recommendation. I feel like the themes and tone of P5 are so different from the earlier Personas that it's even-odds whether or not you'll really like it or find it lame (I'm more in the latter camp).
If you're looking for a proper mainline SMT game to play, SMT V: Vengeance, and SMT III: Nocturne are both available on PC/modern consoles and both are pretty good. They're definitely less friendly than Persona but I find their storylines are much more powerful and interesting. SMT IV is my personal favorite but I think it's still trapped on the 3DS.
Sadly, SMT as a franchise's last good game was arguably the original Strange Journey. It's become increasingly formulaic.
Maybe Devil Survivor 2 if you're desperate for a simple tactics RPG.
Absolutely only get the originals though. With the notable exception of Vengeance, expansion versions end up being worse than the original in some ways due to simply wearing out their welcome. Partially because expansion demons and upgrades tend to break the difficulty curve in some way.
I'd even advocate for going back to Persona 3 FES for the PS2, it isn't nearly as polished as Reload but the themes are served better by the cutscenes, lighting engine of the PS2 and by the dingier graphics;
I'd also argue that the dungeon crawling in FES is miles ahead of what P3R offers. I still think it's wild that instead of expanding on mechanics introduced in FES (party members splitting up/getting lost, having different weapons to traverse dungeons, etc.) they just dumbed it down for Persona 4. I love that game and it's my favorite of the nuSona trilogy, but man dungeon crawling is very barebones.
If you're into SMT, I'd also give Metaphor Re;Fantazio a try too. It's probably my favorite Atlus release in the last couple of years and the gameplay is literally FF5's Job System with SMT's Press Turns along with the day to day life sim shit introduced in Persona 3. It's far more compact than the other nuPersona games in my opinion but suffers from a lack of endgame content for the final dungeon of the game. It also expands on dungeon crawling by allowing the protagonist to have different weapon effects based off what job they have currently equipped.
Between them they each do something best so it's gonna be an eternal argument. 9 has the best world, 8 has the best atmosphere, 7 has the most iconic characters.
Been playing 9 recently. Haven't played it since release. I agree the world and set design is really great. Great attention to detail. Also the FMV has aged really, really well. Was very impressed with it. However, I feel during disc 2-3 I hit a lull in the storyline and was just trying to power through it.
If you're into SMT, I'd also give Metaphor Re;Fantazio a try too. It's probably my favorite Atlus release in the last couple of years and the gameplay is literally FF5's Job System with SMT's Press Turns along with the day to day life sim shit introduced in Persona 3. It's far more compact than the other nuPersona games in my opinion but suffers from a lack of endgame content for the final dungeon of the game. It also expands on dungeon crawling by allowing the protagonist to have different weapon effects based off what job they have currently equipped.
Does Metaphor Re;Fantazio have a lot of content you can miss if you don't optimize your route and use a guide like P4G? I really liked P4G as just a fun casual RPG but my biggest gripe was how it feels like you can miss so much unless you try to clear dungeons in a single day to maximize social links.
Does Metaphor Re;Fantazio have a lot of content you can miss if you don't optimize your route and use a guide like P4G? I really liked P4G as just a fun casual RPG but my biggest gripe was how it feels like you can miss so much unless you try to clear dungeons in a single day to maximize social links.
No I'd argue it gets close to having the opposite problem where unless you spend like a week straight on the dungeon you'd have a very hard time NOT getting everyone's social link to max. You can't even waste days on social links that don't progress since it literally tells you when the next level is available.
The waifu edition with an extra freelancer job that really should've been in base that adds 40+ more hours of content that will cost the exact same amount that's coming out in 2 years? God, I love ATLUS.
Does Metaphor Re;Fantazio have a lot of content you can miss if you don't optimize your route and use a guide like P4G? I really liked P4G as just a fun casual RPG but my biggest gripe was how it feels like you can miss so much unless you try to clear dungeons in a single day to maximize social links.
You shouldn't really be aiming to maximize completion on a fresh run of P4G imo. NG+ is the time to do that since you can maximize social links and start side stories much faster and you'll be able to completely trivialize the combat due to having an unlocked compendium.
Persona is supposed to be about taking your time and enjoying your first playthrough. The only guide I'd recommend consulting your first time through is maybe a boss guide to give you an idea of what you should be fusing towards so you don't get blindsided by bosses.
The waifu edition with an extra freelancer job that really should've been in base that adds 40+ more hours of content that will cost the exact same amount that's coming out in 2 years? God, I love ATLUS.
